


Impossible Beings: Destruction

by chloe23



Series: Impossible Beings [1]
Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, Marvel (Comics), One Direction (Band), liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-01-26 20:46:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1702001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloe23/pseuds/chloe23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.” <br/>-Peter S. Beagle</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Parental Misguidance (Zayn)

**Author's Note:**

> This is part two of my ongoing series. 'Impossible Beings'. If you haven't read the first one..what are you doing here? Go read! This is nothing like your average 1D fanfic. As I have said before, there aren't any X-rated scenes or romantic features. There might be a small love story but it is not the focal point. This story is action packed; full of mysteries, fight scenes, betrayal, heroes, and villains. If you love the Marvel Universe and fangirl like crazy over One Direction, then I highly suggest you read this series.   
> Please feel free to message me your thoughts, ideas, questions, or if you just want to talk!  
> Enjoy!  
> Note: I don't own any of the people or products mentioned in the story (....although I wish I did....)

"You needed a weakness" "Harry!" 

"They're here! They're over here!" "Remember what I told you...just run!"

"I'll come back for you, Liam!"

It had been nearly a week and a half since our mission to The Cage. Liam was still gone and no one seemed to bothered to do anything about it. To be honest, I didn't think any of us really knew what to do. The shock of having to leave Liam behind still hadn't worn off.

We tried to carry on with our routine to develop some sort of normalcy. Louis and I attempted to go back to our classes but I know that I couldn't focus long enough to even know what was going on.

I had talked with my mom a few days after but even her words carried little comfort. She had worn out her motherly phrase of 'everything will be okay'. She knew that that wasn't what I wanted to hear but I took it for all that it was worth.

Things were not okay. Liam had been captured and God only knows what they were doing to him. I hadn't seen him in any of the dreams and, as far as I knew, Louis didn't either.

As for Niall, he didn't really say much. He didn't really talk at all to be exact. We agreed to keep a close eye on him, making sure someone was with him at all times. It was easy because he wasn't very active. He slept a lot and spent most of his time outside on the balcony, taking whatever food he could get him hands on out with him. The kid ate like food was going out of style and we were constantly going out to re-up our supplies.

I trudged up the stairs, balencing a few bags of groceries in my arms as I climbed. Niall had left a list on the kitchen counter for me for me to find when I woke up earlier that morning. Most of the things were normal aside from the fact that he had requested multiple forms of chicken and a large emphasis on doughnuts.

I thought about the fact that he had probably been deprived of a lot of things while being in The Cage, and the kid could pass as a stick, so I felt obliged to meet his requests. Thankfully, Louis had been able to get an old fridge from a frat house so that we had a place to store all of the food.

I opened the door to the apartment and went straight to the kitchen to sit the bags down on the counter. I scanned the room while I began unloading the groceries. Nothing had really changed since I had left.

Harry was still sleeping heavily as I could hear his snores from beyond the curtains and Louis was lounging on the couch, focusing every bit of his attention towards the screen of his phone.

Everything was as I left it...except for Niall.

I searched the room again and he was no longer reading on the opposite couch.

"Uh, Louis?"

"Yeah?" he answered without taking his eyes away from his phone.

"Where's Niall?"

Louis didn't answer and I knew that he had returned his focus back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

Aggravated, I picked up the closest thing within my reach and threw it at him.

"Ah! What the-why are you throwing bananas at me?"

"Because you didn't answer my question!"

Louis furrowed his brows, "What question?"

"Where's Niall!?"

"He's outside again, Christ, Zayn, what's you-ow! Stop throwing food at me!"

"Louis, we've talked about this! Someone has to be with him at all times! You can't just let him outside by himself!"

"Zayn, calm down!" Louis retorted as he got up from the couch.

"No! We just got him out, Lou! Don't you think they're everywhere trying to find us?! God dammit, Louis, think for a minute! We've already lost one; do you want to lose another!?"

I could feel the heat in my body begin to rise and I knew that my face was flushed with red.

"Don't you think I know that?! I was there, too, Zayn, and I-".

"What the fuck is going on?!" Harry roared as he stumbled out from behind his curtains.

"Oh, well look who finally decided to show up!"

My voice was on point now and I could see Harry immediately put up his defenses.

When we got back from the mission, Harry started throwing anything he could get his hands on. A few lamps, bottles, and even a couple windows fell victim to Harry's rampage. It took us hours to calm him down and even longer to clean up his mess.

Ever since then, Harry refused to talk to anyone about what happened to Liam. Instead, he held himself up in his room, only coming out to either get more booze or more cigarettes.

When we had finally gotten the courage to ask him about what had happened, he answered by throwing back a bottle of Jack. When he wasn't drinking, he was smoking and when he wasn't smoking, he was sleeping. There was no in between and it had been going on the entire week and a half.

"What's that supped to mean?" Harry fired back.

"You know exactly what that means! You've been drunk for the last ten days and have done nothing to help any of this. Liam is gone and no one is doing anything about it!"

Louis spoke up then, "What are we supposed to do exactly?"

"Well, you could start being useful and watch out for Niall. He's-".

"Not an invalid, Zayn. He's grown and can take care of himself!"

I could feel the energy coming as the palms of my hands twinged and tingled. I was about to just let it happen. I didn't care at this point. I looked down at my hands as a few sparks escaped my grasp.

That was when I felt Harry come up to me, grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me against the wall. I started to fight against his grip, only to be pulled forward and thrown against the hard bricks again.

"Zayn, stop!" Harry bellowed, "Stop this! Right now!"

I resisted for as long as I could before I could feel a sensation sweep over my body, causing me to feel weak and exhausted.

"Dammit, Harry," I said, my voice coming down to a normal volume.

"Zayn, look at me," Harry's voice was mellow as well and I reluctantly allowed myself to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong, huh? This isn't like you," Harry stated.

He was right. I wasn't one to blow up the way I did. I guess I had just been so overwhelmed by the recent events and, unfortunately for me, my way of dealing with it was to keep it all in like I always had. I was never good at expressing myself so I very rarely did it.

I shrugged as best as I could while Harry's hands still gripped my shoulders.

"I understand, okay? We're all upset but you need to calm down. There's no sense in flying off the handle. We're going to get through this. We'll figure something out, okay?"

My eyes stung with tears from the overexertion of emotion but I blinked them back as I nodded.

"Um, hey guys?" called an unfamiliar voice.

Harry and I both turned to see Niall standing next to Louis in the middle of the room. Harry dropped his hands and allowed me to move away from the wall.

"What is it, Niall?" Harry asked.

Niall looked at the three of us before he answered.

"Someone is coming."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a large thud rocked the door from the other side.


	2. An Escape from Hell (Liam)

I had nothing to compare to the pain that I felt. Every muscle felt beaten and broken. Even breathing presented as a struggle. When I opened my eyes, I was met with the same ceiling that I had been staring at for nine days.

Nine days.

It had nearly been a week and a half since I had allowed myself to be taken. I kept track of the days that had passed to provide some form of sanity. It wasn't much but it was all I had because if this wasn't Hell, it was pretty fucking close.

I closed my eyes again until I heard the door open, followed by several sets of footsteps. Hands grabbed my arms and began strapping to them, various wires and tubes. I felt the prick of several needles and some sort of cuffs were applied to my wrist. 

Restraints were then strapped around me and the table began to move, tilting me forward so that I was upright. I was able to look around and I saw that I had been hooked up to a large device. 

The door opened again and I heard familiar footsteps.

"Hello, Liam," she said, "My name is Rose."

It was the same woman who had confronted Harry and me in the hallway. She was wearing the same smirk she had given Harry.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, taking a few steps towards me.

I didn't answer her. Throughout this entire time, I hadn't said anything to any of them. They had tried to get information out of me. Information like how I had gotten through to their system as well as things about the others; Harry, in particular. When I refused their requests and interrogations, they thought they could beat it out of me.

"Still not speaking, I see. I wish you would talk to me. Hearing your voice would make me feel right at home. Tell me, when was the last time you were across the pond?"

I glared at her as she spoke, not once breaking eye contact. She cocked her head and smiled.

"No? Well, that's fine. You must be tired. I heard you haven't been able to get much sleep. How are you liking our little formula?"

She began towards me again, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked. Her gaze ran me up and down and she chuckled.

"I must say, you are very pretty. You're also quite, hmm, bigger than Niall. You get it honest, I suppose. I've seen a picture of them, your parents. They looked like lovely people. Were they?

Tell me, Liam, were you able to speak with your parents before they died? Did you watch them as they were murdered?"

My jaw clenched and I balled up my fists that were strapped to my sides. I could feel the heat begin to boil. 

"Oh, you were so small, so young. How did you deal with that all by yourself? I know your father had said something to you. Can you tell me what it was?"

The fire threatened to release but then I was hit by a searing pain. It streamed throughout my system, hitting every nerve, every cell of my body as I let out a cry.

Rose clicked her tongue while she shook her head at me.

"Ah, now Liam, were you trying to set me on fire?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Another cry followed as the pain roared through my body again.

"Do you like this new machine? It can sense when you're trying to use your powers through these devices here," she informed, pointing to the cuffs on my wrists.

"It measures body heat as well as blood pressure and heart rate. It then processes the measurements that usually coincide when you're using your abilities to react in...well, you already know," she said with a shrug of her shoulder.

"God, you such a bitch," I spit through my teeth.

"Oh, like I haven't heard that before," she rolled her eyes, "you boys do seem to carry a a very colorful vocabulary. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait...my mistake. How silly of me."

She laughed to herself and I never thought I would hate a sound so much.

Rose continued to circle around me, her healed shoes clicking with every step. She sighed as she came back around and stopped in front of me.

"How long have you been here, do you know?"

I looked to the ground in reply only to have her clutch her hand around my jaw and jerked my head back up to face her.

"I asked you a question, Liam, and I don't like being ignored. Now, answer me, how many days have you been here?"

Her nails dug into my skin with her every word.

"Nine days," I growled.

"Has it really been nine days? My goodness! And they still haven't come for you? Tisk, tisk. It seems like your friends are slacking, don't you think?"

The heat began to rise again and was answered by the induced pain from the machine. My chest heaved and I screwed my eyes shut as I tried to hold in the shouts of agony.

"That's it, Liam, hold it in. Br strong. Make your parents proud. Do you think they would be? Would they be proud of their son, who they had died trying to protect, is now locked up by the very place that killed them?"

My body was fully overcome by the heat and there was no stopping it. She had gone a step too far and the pain was no longer relevant. My voice roared through the small room and I began to pull against the restraints.

Rose's eyes grew wide as she stepped backwards. 

I mustered every bit of strength I had as the heat was now at full force. Flames erupted and the restraints were ripped away. I tore off the needles and tubes that had been attached to my arms. 

Rose attempted to leave but as she reached the door, it became engulfed in flames. She screamed as she backed away. I climbed off of the table and began walking towards her.

"Don't come any closer. I'll call security," she warned as she took out the small emergency button from her blazer.

"I don't think so," I said.

I reached out and grabbed her wrist, tightening my grip just enough to force her to drop the button into my hand.

I crushed it and let the pieces fall to the ground.

"It seems as though you have greatly underestimated us, Rose," I said as I turned away from her, "you'll be seeing me again."

"And Harry? Has he told you anything?"

I looked over my shoulder to see her smiling once again.

"No? Ask him then, and tell him I told you to."

I brushed off her comment and without delaying any further, I let the flames die down before I tore through the now charred door. I didn't know where the sudden strength was coming from. I had been beaten and broken but I was now feeling invisible.

My eyes searched for and exit when I got into the hallway.I had to get out and I had to get out fast. There were those that tried to slow me down but I shoved past them. Many of them backed away, staying clear as I ran. 

Guards, however, were trailing behind while I weaved throughout people and hallways to find an exit. I threw flames over my shoulder in an attempt to slow them down and they answered with bullets. I felt a pain in my side but continued on. I didn't have time to slow down. 

My eyes finally landed on a door that led to the outside. Picking up my pace, I leaned forward and charged my shoulder into the glass. It shattered to the ground as I ran through. Once my bare feet felt the grass, I took off even faster than before and allowed a wall of fire to build behind me to insure the guards couldn't follow. I found my way back to the opening Harry and I had made in the gate days before.

The cuts and bruises stung as the rain pelted against my naked skin. I ran through the small forest and back up to the road, forcing my feet to carry me for as long as they could. I needed to get away before I lost all of my strength. I had to get back to the others. 

After a few more miles of running, my feet were sore and I was soaked. The pain in my side had been from a bullet that had just grazed my skin but other than that, everything else was intact. 

I tried hitching a ride but I knew I must have looked completely mental with no shoes, no shirt, and dried blood everywhere. I went for my phone but was struck with the realization that I had left it at the apartment the morning of our mission. I didn't want The Cage to get a hold of it if something like this happened.

It was late and the road was dark. I had no way of telling what time it was. I began to think about where I could go to rest up but a motel was out of the question. I didn't have any money due to the fact that my wallet was with my phone. 

"Fuck it all," I muttered as bright headlights spilled across the road and were followed by the blaring horn of a semi-truck.

I turned around and to my surprise, the truck began to slow down and pull over to the side of the road.

An older man wearing stocking cap and a friendly smile stuck his head out of the window.

"You looked pretty banged up there, son," he said with a drawl.

"Yeah, uh, hiking in the woods after dark probably wasn't the best idea," I replied.

"Hiking, huh?" he asked as he raised a brow, "well, are you headed somewhere?"

"Um, Boston."

"You've got quite a way to go there, chief," he said with a laugh.

I smiled, "I know. Is there any way you would be willing to give me a ride? I don't have money but if you can take me where I'm going, then I-".

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving away my offer, "I'm going there myself so I wouldn't be going out of my way. Hop in."

"Thank you, sir," I smiled again before I hobbled over to the passenger side and climbed into the cab.

"So, what really happened to you?" he asked while pulling back into the road.

"We don't have the time," was all I said.

The driver and I talked for a while until a final wave of fatigue swept over me and I fell asleep.

\--

I awoke to the sun shining through the window and the driver nudging my shoulder.

"Hey, son, we're in the city. Where do you want me to drop you off?"

I rubbed away the sleep from my eyes before I scanned my surroundings. We were close to the apartment but I didn't want to take him much further. Despite the fact that the man was decent, I still needed to be cautious. 

"Just drop my off here," I answered.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded and with that, he pulled over to a curb and I got out. I thanked him again before I closed the door. I began walking the few blocks to the apartment, being sure to stay to the shadows and alleys. I wanted to avoid being scene as little as possible.

The longer I walked, the more the pain started to settle back in. 

God, I was so sore.

When I reached the building, I began climbing the stairs.

All four flights.

Why were there so many stairs?

I literally had no strength left when I hit the landing. I took one last step before I collapsed to the ground just outside the door.


	3. A Time to Heal (Louis)

Harry turned at the sound and ran to the door.

“Harry, wait,” Zayn called after him but, with no surprise, Harry ignored him and pulled open the door. I made my way over to join them with Niall trailing behind.

At first, there was nothing but an empty hallway and the three of us stared at each other with confusion. We were on the fourth floor of an abandoned building. There was no way it could have been someone bumping into it by accident.

Harry checked along both sides of the hallway and was about to turn back into the apartment when he looked down.

“Holy shit,” he gasped, eyes widening, “Liam!”

I hurried closer to the door, moving next to Zayn as Harry bent down to the floor.

“Christ,” I said under my breath as I took in the scene in front of us.

It was Liam, alright, but not the Liam we saw before we separated in the woods. He was beaten, bruises of various sizes and colors darkened his skin and something had stained his now ripped jeans. I swallowed hard when I realized that it was blood.

He wasn’t moving but I looked closely and was relieved to see that his chest was moving up and down. They were shallow breaths but at least he was alive.

Gingerly, Harry took up Liam’s arm and pulled him off from the ground. Zayn offered to help but Harry shook his head as he cradled Liam in his arms. The rest of us made way for Harry and then followed him to Liam’s side of the apartment.

Liam was still motionless when Harry laid him down on the bed.

“Liam,” said Harry, his voice was low and concerned as he pressed his palm against the side of Liam’s face.

We watched in silence and I was able to get a better look at Liam’s injuries. Apart from the cuts and bruises, my eyes landed on a rather nasty wound that resided on his right side. It wasn’t deep and the bleeding had stopped but it was raised and red, showing the beginning signs of infection.

I took in a sharp breath and looked at Harry.

“Harry, look at his side,” I said with a nod, “that looks pretty bad.”

Harry followed my gaze and his brow creased in the center. He brought his eyes up to meet ours before stopping at Zayn.

“Help him, Harry,” Zayn said.

He shook his head, “We’ve talked about this, Zayn.”

“That doesn’t matter right now. Just do it. They will understand but you have to help him now.”

I looked between the two of them, confused about what they were talking about. I checked on Niall as well, with the thought that he may have an idea but his eyes were locked on Liam, not at all bothered by the current conversation.

I turned back to Harry who had his mouth opened as if to say something but instead, he looked back down at the body in front of him and nodded.

After a moment of thought, Harry got up and repositioned himself on the wounded side of Liam. I leaned forward to watch as Harry placed his hands over the cut.

He was idle for a few minutes. His eyes were closed with brows creased in the center. I was waiting for something to happen but nothing seemed to change. At least, not until Harry opened his eyes and removed his hands away from Liam’s side.

“What?” I whispered in disbelief. For when Harry lowered his hands, there was nothing left of the open wound. There wasn’t even a mark to show where it once was.

He continued to do the same thing to the other minor cuts and bruises, gently pressing his fingers against the abrasions and removing them to revel perfectly healed skin. When Harry was finished, Liam looked unscathed.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

I didn’t mean to, to be honest. I knew it probably wasn’t the best time for explanations but it just slipped out. I almost flinched as Harry stood, steadying himself against the bed frame before he turned towards me.

He smiled for a moment but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked exhausted as began walking towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder before he passed me.

“What should we do now?” Zayn asked, still looking at Liam, “will he be okay?”

“He’ll be fine now,” Harry informed, taking up his seat at the table, “he just needs to sleep, so let him. We’ll see what we need to do when he wakes up. Until then, let him be.”

The three of us nodded and I reached up to pull the curtain around, taking a final look at Liam before closing it completely.

“How do you think he got out?” I asked as I came back to the table.

Harry shrugged while he lit a cigarette. The question of how Liam was now fully healed was still resonating in the back of my mind. I looked to Zayn thinking that maybe he would give away some form of explanation but he was on the couch, watching Niall who was back on the balcony.

I figured I should keep my mouth shut for a while. No one seemed in the mood to discuss anyway. Liam was back and that was all that mattered. There was, however, a strange hush that fell over the apartment and I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain it.

It was almost like that feeling you get when you come home after a long day out and you’re finally able to sit down and relax. It was comforting but also eerie in a way.

I shrugged it off and decided to join Niall outside. I hadn’t tried talking to him in a few days and after the blow-up with Zayn earlier, I figured I should.

It was actually a beautiful day. The sky was crystal clear as far as I could see and a light breeze flowed through the buildings. It was pretty brisk but it was still unnaturally warm for the season.

I found Niall sitting on the chair he had pulled from the table with his feet hitched up on the ledge and was munching from a bag of potato chips.

I took up the spot next to him, leaning against the wall. I chewed on the corner of my lip as I thought of something to say, not that it mattered anyway.

Niall hadn’t been much for conversation since we brought him back; only saying a few things here and there. It was mainly questions about food and how to work certain electronics. I had let him use my phone a couple of days before and just got it back yesterday.

I had smiled when he mumbled something along the lines of ‘I hate that fucking bird’.

Other than that, he kept to himself and tried to let him. Where Zayn thought he needed to be supervised, I had felt that he just needed some time alone. I had assumed that he had been under a constant microscope while at The Cage. He hadn’t informed us otherwise but it was anything like what Liam had described, I imagined that he had been through a lot.

It was strange to know that Niall had been locked up for so long. Everything was new to him; like the whole cell phone thing and being able to eat actual food. When I think about it, I was pretty lucky to have the life I had. Yeah, there were aspects that weren’t all that great but at least I was properly provided for and given opportunity. Niall wasn’t allowed any of that for so long and it upset me the more I thought about it.

“How are you doing today, Niall?” I asked, half expecting him not to answer.

He took his hand out of the bag and sat it down on the ground beside him.

“Alright,” he said as he brushed the crumbs off of his jeans. With those, he was also wearing a dark grey Bruins t-shirt and a black zip-up jacket with a pair of Nikes. We had all chipped in to buy a whole wardrobe for him considering that he left The Cage with nothing.

It had been a couple of days after we had gotten and even though we hadn’t been in the best mood to go shopping, we figured it would help to give our minds a break from everything.

“Liam will be okay. He’s just really tired,” Niall said, looking up at me.

“Did you find that out by, um, being inside his head?”

Niall nodded.

We knew a little bit of information about what he could do but not enough to fully understand.

“So do you get inside all of our heads then?”

“No,” he shook his head as he looked down, “not now, anyway. I needed to know things before.”

“Like what?” I said, raising a brow. This was the most he had talked and I was taking the opportunity to get all I could.

He shrugged, “I don’t know. Just things. I needed to know I could trust you.”

“I understand. Is there anything else you can do?”

He smiled then shook his head, “You’ll find out soon enough. Now really isn’t the time, Lou.”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod, “that seems to be a pattern.”


	4. Something to Confess

The apartment was quiet again. Louis and Zayn had left for the night; both of them going back to their usual residence. Zayn had explained that he needed to finish some homework and catch up with his mother.

Louis had just said that he needed a break from the couch and, at least, have a couple nights in a normal bed. I didn’t blame him. Those couches had seen better days. Unfortunately, Niall didn’t have much of a choice. Now that Liam was back, Niall had to move to one of them. I had offered for him to take my bed, letting him know that I had slept on much worse, but he declined.

He seemed to be doing alright, as far as I could tell. I had expected him to be different, I suppose, but he wasn’t. He was just quiet, which didn’t surprise me. I thought that he had just gone for so long being oppressed that he just didn’t really know what to say. I figured it would take some time but I was sure he would come around.

I glanced down at my watch and breathed a heavy sigh. It was 2:43 in the morning and I was definitely tired but I couldn’t sleep. Healing Liam had taken a lot out of me but for some reason, my mind wouldn’t rest. I had tried laying down in hopes that I would eventually fall asleep but, instead, I remained wide awake, staring up at the ceiling.

My stare floated to my abandoned mattress and I thought about trying again. Maybe the help of the two of whiskey I just had would provide a little push. I had my doubts but I heaved myself from the chair anyway.

I padded over to my bed and fell onto it with a slump. I tried to let myself relax but was shaken by a sudden cry that rang throughout the room.

Quickly, I shot out of bed and tore open the curtains. My eyes landed on Niall who was now sitting up from the couch. I frowned but her shook his head, indicating that the sound didn’t come from him.

The shout sounded again and I hurried over to Liam’s bed. I pulled back the curtains to look down and found Liam thrashing about. Scorch marks covered the sheets and I had to put out a flame that had started on the edge of the bedside table. He was having a nightmare and I needed to wake him up before he burnt the entire place down.

I gripped my hands onto his shoulders and began to shake him.

“Liam, wake up,” I called.

After a few seconds, his eyes flashed open and he awoke with a gasp. He sat up and was breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room until they fell on mine.

“Shit,” he breathed when he realized where he was and rubbed his hands over his face.

“It’s okay,” I assured, “it was just a dream.”

He fell back onto the bed, letting his arms hang over the sides of the mattress. He took in a few large inhales to regain regulation. Rubbing his hands over his face again, he sat back up.

“How long was I out?” he asked, his voice a bit groggy.

I shook my head, “I don’t know. Pretty much all day, I guess? It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when we found you in the hallway. You’ve been out ever since.”

“And Niall? Where is he? Is he okay?” His questions were rushed with slight panic.

“Whoa, cool it, chief. Niall is fine. He’s here.”

As if on cue, Niall came around the wall of the curtain and sat down on the end of the bed.

“What about the others? Did they make it?”

I nodded, “They’re home for the night but we were all here when we found you.”

“Okay,” he said, lowering his eyes. He then took in a sharp breath and reached for my arm.

“Fuck, Harry, your hand.”

I looked down to see a few welts had formed along my hand and onto my wrist. It must have happened when I had to put of the fire.

“Oh, um,” I said and began tracing my fingers along the burns. It stung at first but then after a few minutes, the welts disappeared and so did the pain.

When I glanced back up at Liam, his mouth had gone slack and a crease had formed between his brows.

“How?” was all he said.

I shook my head again, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, fuck that, Harry. We’re not playing that game. Is this what Rose wasn’t me to ask you about?”

“You saw Rose?”

“Saw her?” he scoffed, “that twat put me through the worst physical pain I had ever felt in my life.”

The both of us heard Niall breathe a laugh and we looked over to him.

“What did they do to you?”

“I don’ remember much. I was unconscious through a lot of it, like, in and out. The most of what I remembered happened at the end with that fucking machine,” Liam explained.

“What machine? What did it do?” Niall spoke up again.

“Put me through hell, that’s for damn sure. Whenever I tried to use, it would induce pain throughout my entire body.

Niall nodded in thought, “It’s a conditioning device. I heard them talk about it but I never saw it.”

“Well I think I broke it,” Liam said with a slight grin.

“You what?”

“Yeah, I mean somehow I got this strength- which was weird because I’ve never had it before- but I was able to overcome the pain and get myself off of it.

I don’t think Rose expected it, either, but that’s how I was able to escape. Granted, I set most of the place on fire, but I was able to get out.”

There was a beat of silence, then he started again.

“I think we’re a lot stronger than what they thought and now they’re off their guard. I think that’s why I was able to get out. They were all scurrying about, not knowing what to do. You should have seen the look on her face but that’s when she told me…,” he trailed off, his eyes slowly moving in my direction.

“That’s when she told me to ask you. She wasn’t specific but something told me you would know. So what is it, Harry? What do I need to know?”

Shit, I thought to myself as I ran my fingers across my bottom lip. I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face while thinking of a way out of this.

But I knew there wasn’t one.

“Just listen, okay, and don’t get pissed or anything. It’s not that I was trying to keep it from you, because I was going to tell you, honestly. It was just something you didn’t need to know at the time.”

“For fuck’s sake, Harry, just out with it,” Liam demanded.

I looked between him and Niall, putting my words together before I started again.

“Our abilities tend to develop the longer we use the. They evolve or we gain additional ones.”

“What?”

I combed through my hair, gripping the ends before letting my hand fall back into my lap.

“I’m sorry and slightly surprised that you didn’t know already, with-“

“You’re bloody right you’re sorry! Why the fuck would you keep something like that from us, Harry? Me, in particular!”

His face grew red and the veins on his neck began to bulge as he shouted. He stood up from the bed and loomed over me. I stood up immediately, not liking the height difference.

“It wasn’t important at the time and I just told you not to get upset!”

“Harry helped you, Liam. Can you at least give him that credit? Just chill out,” Niall assisted.

“No, I’m going to be fucking upset! You can’t keep shit like that to yourself. You say it wasn’t important but every bit is important. We need any sort of information we can get! Do you understand?”

“Liam, I-,” but was soon cut off again by Liam.

“You got anything else? Any other secrets? Now’s your chance, Harry, because I’m not going to deal with it! If I find out you’ve been keeping anything, I’m going to…I’m going to…”

His voice grew soft and a dazed look swept across his face. Without another word, he sat back down on his bed and was calm again, as if nothing happened.

I was confused at first but then my focused turned to Niall who was glaring intently at Liam and my question was answered. Niall was keeping-no- forcing Liam to calm down and I mentally thanked him. I was not in the mood for an argument and my head was starting to hurt from the lack of sleep.

Liam cleared his throat, “Is there anything else we need to know, Harry? Who is this Rose? I won’t get upset. Just tell the truth.”

Fuck.

I had hoped that question wouldn’t come up and I thought up a quick response.

“We just have a history, is all,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“What kind of history, Styles?”

I lowered my eyes to the floor and shook my head.

“Just from being on the run, I suppose. Whenever they got close, she was always there.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and prayed that he believed me.

“Is that all?”

I nodded. Silence struck again before Liam let out an exhausted sigh.

“Alright. Christ, Harry, just-just don’t lie, yeah? This situation is fucked up enough as it is. We can’t have slip-ups. Who knows what could happen next. We just have to be ready.”

“I know that, Liam.”

“Good,” he affirmed, “so how exactly did you save me?”

I breathed a laugh, “You looked like you went through a fucking cheese grater.”

He looked down and brushed his fingers over his skin, prodding and poking as he went along. He lifted his arms and looked over his shoulder to check what he could of his back.

“Well done. Um, thank you. I, uh, I’m not going to start growing scales or anything like that, right?”

I rolled my eyes, “Come on, Liam.”

“Well, I’m going to shower then, just in case,” he said with a smirk.

I watched as Liam gathered his things and walk to the bathroom. I then turned to Niall but he was no longer sitting on the bed. I pushed past the curtains to find him back on the couch and pulling his blankets around him.

“Thanks for that,” I said, walking over to him.

“You guys yell a lot,” he replied.

“You’ve noticed?”

I sat on the opposite couch and put my feet up on the coffee, crossing my legs at the ankles.

“I’ve been wondering something, though.”

“What’s that?” he said, laying down.

“How did you find Liam so fast? I know he went looking for you but we was only gone for a few minutes and the next thing I know, he’s back and you’re there, too.”

He chuckled, “Well, let’s just say that the room they had moved me to wasn’t intelligently secured. I was looking for you guys, too.”

“You knew we were coming?”

He nodded as he rolled over on his side to face the back of the couch.

“The power outage was a nice touch.”

I smiled and decided to try and get some sleep. There was so much more I could have said to Liam but I couldn’t. Not now, anyway. There was going to be a time when I wouldn’t have choice and I would have to tell them.

Maybe not, I thought to myself, some things are better left unsaid.

I fell onto my mattress for a second time that night and closed my eyes.

All in good time.


	5. A Little Fun Never Hurt (Niall)

The afternoon sun was coming through and the weather had allowed us to open a couple of windows. Well, at least the ones that weren’t broken from Harry’s outrage during the night they brought me back.

He had attempted to fix them by taping trash bags against them. It had worked for a while until he got annoyed by the sound the plastic made when it was caught by the wind. In the end, he had resulted in ripping them down, claiming that he didn’t care if he got rained on.

“At least I don’t have to hear that fucking sound,” Harry had as he kicked around the bags on the floor.

It was quite a process that I had found pretty entertaining to watch. 

“Why would you want one of those? You’re not missing much,” Liam said, looking up from his laptop.

“I know that but we’re all out of books.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “You’ve finished all of those already?”

“Yeah,” I replied with a shrug.

“We gave you, like, ten. Did you finish the text books that Zayn and Lou gave you, too?”

I nodded.

“Christ, that’s genius,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

I had told Liam how limited I was at The Cage. They had allowed me a few things and I had a tutor but that it wasn’t exactly enjoyable. It was what they wanted me to learn; very advanced, but nothing recreational. 

“I just like reading,” I mumbled as I picked at the fuzz from the couch cushions.

“I know that, mate. Maybe we can go to the thrift shop down the road. They might have a few. I don’t know about a T.V. though. We don’t want too much around here.”

I chewed on my lip and nodded again while I took up The Catcher in the Rye to read for the third time. Out of all the books the guys had brought for me, that one was probably my favorite, so I didn’t mind. I had also enjoyed Stephen King’s Carrie, for obvious reasons. 

I was just beginning the fourth chapter when the door swung open to reveal Zayn and Harry. Zayn had his phone pressed to his ear and seemed to be having a very intense conversation. His mouth had formed into a tight line and his brows were pressed together.

“Mom, it’s really okay. You don’t-,” he spoke, taking a seat on the other couch. 

“Please, can’t you, like- ugh, alright…yeah, okay. Yes, I’ll tell them…okay, love you, too.”

He hung up and tossed his phone onto the seat beside him and let out a frustrated groan. 

“What’s going on, Zayn? Everything okay?” Liam asked as he put is laptop on the coffee table. 

“It’s my mom. She, ugh, she wants to come over tonight and, like, make dinner for all of us.”

“And you told her yes, right?” Harry asked from his room.

“Yeah…I’m sorry.”

“What, why are you sorry?” Liam asked.

“Well, I don’t know,” Zayn answered with a shrug, “I know we have a lot of stuff going on and I-.”

“That’s exactly why we should. We need a break anyways,” Harry assured. 

“I could use a home cooked meal. I haven’t had one in ages,” added Liam.

“Really? I mean, you guys don’t mind?” said Zayn with a small smile.

“Hell no,” Harry answered, “I’ll call Louis and have him pick up a few things; make it a party.”

As I watched the others converse, I realized I was smiling the entire time and was genuinely excited. For what, I wasn’t quite sure, but the others seemed to be pretty pumped. Harry was right, as well. I was getting tired of the quiet and if I wasn’t going to get my T.V., I needed some form of entertainment.

“Louis is excited, too. He’s bringing some refreshments,” Harry informed, tucking his phone into his back pocket.

“Fantastic,” Liam smiled.

++++

A couple hours later, Zayn came through the door again, only this time, his mom accompanied him. 

She walked into the room, all smiles and very bubbly. Her eyes were kind, like Zayn’s, and she greeted each of the other boys with a warm hug as they offered to take the bags that hung from her arms.

I stayed behind, watching the action from a distance as I leaned onto the back of the couch.

She thanked Liam as he took the final bag from her arm but not before she pulled him into a long hug.

“Are you doing alright, sweetheart? I was so worried when Zayn told me and I thought they would come for the others, as well.”

Liam smiled, “I’m doing fine, Kate, and I’m sure your cooking is going to put me in right form, if what Zayn says is true.”

I could see the blush form on her cheeks and she grinned, bashfully. 

“Aw, well I know you boys need it after all. Where is Louis?” she asked, looking about the room until her eyes fell on me.

Her smile brightened even more, if that was possible, and she began walking towards me.

“You must be Niall. I’m Kate, Zayn’s mother. It’s so wonderful that you’re here. Are you doing okay?”

“Well, I’m, uh, I’m great, actually. Any place is better than where I was and the guys have been helping me get, um, situated.”

She nodded and her eyes now held a bit of sympathy. I didn’t have to get in her head to know what she was thinking. Also like Zayn, she wore her heart out on her sleeve so it was easy to read her emotions. 

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that. It must have been so awful for you. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

“Awful doesn’t even begin to cover it, to be honest.”

Her brows pressed together and tilted her head slightly.

“No, I wouldn’t think so,” she said, raising her hand and pressing it gently onto the side of my face.

“You’re with us, Niall, you’re safe and if you need anything, you can come to me, okay? Things are going to be better for you.”

My heart was bursting with the warmth I had only dreamt of and I gave her a soft smile of my own before she wrapped her arms around my shoulders to pull me into a tight hug.

“Hadn’t had one of those in a long time,” I said when she pulled away, only to hear her let out a maternal whimper, and to be pulled back into another embrace.

When she let go the second time, she grazed the tips of her fingers beneath her eyes to wipe away the tears that had begun to spill. 

She lightly gripped the crook of my elbow and guided me to the kitchen where the others had been setting up the food. 

I had never seen that much food in my life.

So much food.

“Where’s Louis?” Zayn asked as he turned on the oven.

“He’s coming,” I said.

Not even five seconds later, Louis came through the door with two brown paper sacks cradled in his arms.

“Party’s here!”

The others cheered while Kate greeted Louis with a small peck on the cheek. He sat the bags on the table with a heavy thump accompanied by the clinking of glass.

“What have you got, Louis?” I asked while I took a seat at the table.

“All the good stuff,” he winked and rummaged in the bags, pulling out three bottles of liquor from one and two six packs of beer from the other.

“Good grief, Louis. Are you planning on opening your own bar?” Kate asked, eyeing the various bottles on the table.

“Well,” he shrugged, “I just thought that we could use a little pick-me-up. Everyone has been so on edge. We need to loosen up a bit.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, mom. We can wait until after you leave,” Zayn assured her and kissed the top of her head.

“That’s fine, honey. Now, all of you get out of the kitchen. Food will be ready in a few!”

Soon enough, the whole apartment was filled with the best smell I had ever experienced and my mouth was already beginning to water. She was making beef stew, Zayn’s favorite, complete with carrots and potatoes.

When she informed us that it was all ready, it was a race to the table. I had yet to see Harry move as quickly as he did.

We were all seated when Kate placed the large pot of stew in the middle of the table.

“Manners, lads,” Liam reminded us all before we acquired our servings. My plate steamed in from of me and the smell filled my senses. 

“Are you going to eat or are you just going to stare at it?” Louis asked with a mouthful of food.

I looked up from my plate to see the others staring back at me in question. Sheepishly, I picked up my fork, slid a few pieces onto the prongs, and put them in my mouth.

“Oh my God,” I said as I chewed.

“Good, yeah?” Liam nudged me with his elbow.

All I could do was nod, making the others laugh while they continued back to their own plates.

When we finished, we all sat around, talking about various things and then, at some point, Kate got on the topic of Zayn and telling us stories from when he was younger. The others longer the others laughed and teased him, the redder his face grew.

“We’re just having a good laugh,” Harry said, giving Zayn a hearty pat on the back.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Zayn said, “why don’t you have a good laugh while you help clean up?”

Before long, the kitchen was back in a better order than it originally was, with the help from Kate, and everything was packed back into the bags. We all thanked Kate a hundred times over and I had lost count of how many hugs she had given each of us before Zayn had to eventually push her through the door.

++++

“Come on, Niall, just one more time!” Louis pleaded from the floor. His eyes were closed only so the room would stop spinning.

I chuckled lightly and the fuzziness in my head was causing it to feel heavy. My entire body was pleasantly numb and I was afraid to move from my chair for fear of falling over. 

I wasn’t sure what Harry had put in my drink and Liam had told him to go easy on me. I had never had alcohol before but when I asked Harry what it was, he just smirked.

“It’ll put hair on your chest,” he winked. I wasn’t sure what that meant at the time but it hadn’t taken a very long for me to figure it out. 

“Lay off him, Lou. You’re going to end up giving his an annorism..an annisism…an, uh, you’re going to fuck up his head!” Zayn slurred from the couch.

“Careful there, Zayn, or you’ll end up giving yourself an aneurism,” Harry said smoothly before tipping back his bottle of beer.

Suddenly, there was a large banging sound from the bathroom and we all turned to see Liam fall out of the bathroom and into the hall. I stood quickly and immediately regretted that action as I was faced with the room on a slight tilt and black spots clouded my vision.

“You okay, Liam?” Harry called over his shoulder, the rest of us trying to subside our laughter.

We heard Liam groan a few times before he slowly go up from the ground, bracing himself against the wall before he turned to face us. 

“For fuck’s sake, Harry. What did you put in that bloody drink? I can barely see straight.”

“It’ll put hair on your chest!” I said, raising my cup in the air.

Laughter rang throughout the room and I took the final sips from my cup. It was only a few moment later when everything turned into a blur and the only thing I could remember was waking up with my face plastered onto the cold bathroom floor and Zayn snoring from the tub at 5:00 in the morning.


	6. Aim for the Heart: Part One (Zayn)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AN: Hello everyone! Okay, so this chapter is going to be in five parts. It's all happening at the same time but it will be in each boy's point of view. I hope this makes sense but it'll all come to together at the last part. Please let me know if you're confused. Also, please comment and vote! It's how I know you guys are actually enjoying this :D Thanks, everyone!]

Out of all the hangovers I've ever had, this was probably the worst and because this was the only hangover I've experienced, I was pretty sure I was dying. My head was pounding and my neck was kinked from spending the night in the bathtub of the apartment.

I had just missed Niall, who was passed out as well, as I stumbled from the tub to puke in the toilet. I didn't even remember how I got into the bathroom in the first place but I was thankful.

Note: never let Harry make my drinks again, I thought to myself.

After two more bouts in the toilet and downing about as much water as I could take, I managed to get myself home and shower before going to class.

"Did you have a fun time, sweetie?" my mom asked in what seemed to be twelve notches higher than her normal volume.

"Mom, please stop talking so loud," I groaned as I rubbed my fingers over my temples. She giggled and handed me a couple of aspirins and a cup of coffee.

"Oh, you boys," she said and turned back to making some scrambled eggs which I had no desire to eat. Eventually, she was able to coax me into eating a few bites, saying that I would feel better once I had something in my stomach.

I left the house feeling somewhat better and my headache was fading slightly by the time I pulled onto campus.

"Rough night, man?" Frat Guy Spencer asked me when I sat down. He had introduced himself as just 'Spencer' a couple days after the backpack incident but I didn't care to distinguish him any differently.

"Mmph," I grunted, not wanting to engage in any conversation until this headache had completely subsided. Frat Guy Spencer snickered a bit and nudged my shoulder.

"Been there before, bro. The only way to cure that is to drink some more."

I flinched. Even the thought of drinking again caused my stomach to turn sour and I felt as though I was going to spill the scrambled eggs all over the table. I took another swig from my water bottle and pulled my hood over my eyes right before the professor had brutishly flicked on the classroom lights.

I groaned quietly when he started his lecture. I really didn't know how I was going to make it through this class.

By the time my second class ended, I was fighting sleep. All I wanted was to go back home and pass out in my bed. Unfortunately, I had one more class before I could officially be done for the day. Louis had offered for me to sleep in his dorm due to the fact that he would be in the library studying for a test he assured he was going to fail.

"Well, at least you're trying," I said over the phone.

"I guess. I'd make a shit lawyer anyway," he replied.

I gave him a few more words of encouragement and thanked him for letting me borrow his bed before I hung up. I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and looked up to the sky to see heavy clouds begin to form in the distance.

Louis must have been having a hard time with his studying session and the thought made me smile. Louis wasn't the type to seclude himself in a library with his nose pressed to the inside of a book. He was a typical college senior, only doing what he had to do to finish up his last year.

"I love learning, Like, I'm really good at retaining the information," he had told me, "I just hate taking the tests and doing homework. It's irrational."

I got where he was coming from, although I didn't understand why he complained. He never got anything lower than an A- on his exams.

As I walked across campus, the sun continued to fade behind the clouds. Luckily for me, I was nearing Louis' dorm just in case the weather decided to take a turn for the worst.

I pulled out my earbuds from my backpack and switched to my favorite song before putting them in and turning up the volume. My head bobbed to the beat as Louis' dorm came into view.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck my side and my pace faltered slightly. I thought that maybe it was a stomach cramp. I had put my system through a lot earlier so it wasn't a surprise that it was starting to revolt against me.

I continued to walk but the pain intensified the more I moved.

What the hell is wrong with me? I thought. Maybe I needed to throw up again.

I was looking for the nearest trashcan when I noticed there were people running across the lawn. They seemed panicked but I didn't know why. My music was too loud to hear anything. I took out my earbuds to hear that there were screams echoing throughout the area.

I was beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded, causing The pain grew and spread down into my leg.

"Shit," I said through my teeth.

It was becoming impossible to walk and I clutched my side. The fabric felt warm and damp. I frowned with confusion and looked down as I pulled my hand away to find that it was covered in a dark red substance.

My eyes widened at the sight of the blood that covered my hand. I checked my side and the blood was flowing down onto my jeans. I didn't understand why I was bleeding. What did I do? Surely, it wasn't blood. Maybe I had rubbed against red paint.

I tried to think but the pain became unbearable. My legs finally gave in and they buckled beneath me, causing me to fall to my knees. A metallic tang filled my senses.

"Zayn!"

Was someone shouting my name? It was distant, as if they were shouting from the end of a tunnel. I tried to look around but my vision began to blur. Black spots were everywhere. I was having a hard time keeping myself up. I felt weak and I just wanted to sleep. Maybe that's what was wrong. I was hallucinating from the lack of sleep...or alcohol poisoning. That made sense, right?

"Zayn!" I heard again. They sounded so far away but I recognized it.

"Louis?" I said and turned my head to see a figure running towards me.

I felt a body crash into me before I could fall to the ground completely. Arms wrapped around me and Louis' voice was frantic as it called out to me.

"Zayn! Oh God, Zayn!"

I knew he was right there. He was right beside me but I could barely hear him. Everything was fading. I couldn't feel anything and my eyes began to close.

"No, Zayn, look at me. Look at me! Shit, come on, Zayn!"

He began to shake me.

"Lou, please," I said slowly, "I'm so tired."

"Stay with me. Please! Keep your damn eyes open! Just hold on, help is coming! It's coming, Zayn, please."

After that, Louis' voice disappeared.

I heard nothing.

I felt nothing.


	7. Aim for the Heart: Part Two (Niall)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo so so sorry this took so long.

“God, I’m never drinking again,” I said as I fell onto the couch. I had just finished emptying whatever was left in my stomach from the night before and I felt like complete shit. 

Harry laughed, “Yeah, I remember when I used to tell myself that.”

“Just go and get something to eat. You’ll feel better,” Liam suggested from the kitchen.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. 

“How are you guys even okay? You were just as drunk as the rest of us.”

“Years of practice, mate. You’ve got to learn as you go.”

I scoffed, “The only thing I learned was to not let the Styles kid touch my drink.”

“Hey,” I heard Harry and the blanket was tugged away from my face, “it’s not my fault you couldn’t handle it. Besides, you should be thanking me.”

“Why’s that?” I asked while I reached for the blanket.

He leaned over the couch, “Because I think I see a few hairs growing now.”

He poked at my chest and I rolled my eyes as I swatted his hand away. Harry laughed as he pulled off his shirt and slung a towel over his shoulder. He walked to the bathroom as Liam sat on the opposite couch, a slight smile on his face.

“How bad is it?” he asked over the brim of his coffee mug.

I groaned again and rolled over onto my side.

“Well, there’s absolutely nothing in my stomach and my head feels like it’s been smashed against a brick wall.”

Liam winced at my description and then reached in his back pocket. He took out his wallet, pulled out a few bills, and threw them on the table. 

“Here. Go and get you something.”

“What about you?” I asked, picking up the bills. 

“Don’t worry. I think Harry and I are going to drink it off.”

“Bleh,” I said, making a face. I shook my head and tried to ignore the sour taste in my mouth.

“Get something to eat,” he chuckled, “I suggest something fried and greasy. There’s a diner down the way. Do you want me to go with you or will you be okay alone?”

“I’ll be fine,” I confirmed as I stood from the couch.

After I changed, I let Liam know that I would be back and left the apartment, taking Liam’s phone with me at his request.

It was strange being out alone and around other people as I made my way through the streets. I couldn’t help but let myself dip in and out of the minds of passersby. It was refreshing. 

Many of them were on their way to work, worrying about whether they had turned off the coffee pot or about how much they hated their boss.

Eventually, I was able to find the diner Liam had described. I walked in and found a table near the back corner, allowing me to see the entire place with its cracked walls and scuffed floors. People of all kinds sat around the booths and tables. 

I was approached by a waitress with a bright smile but sad eyes. 

“Good morning, what can I do for you today?” she said, in her best attempt of chipper.

I hesitated before I answered. Listening to her mind was like trying to watch a flipbook. She was jumping back and forth through mile long worries. Her dad, her girlfriend, bills, rent, her failing at Business Ethics; it was exhausting. She placed a menu in front of me while she continued to smile.

“Um, just coffee for now, please? I would like to take a look at the menu.”

“Of course,” she replied, “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”

After a moment she returned with a steaming mug and a promise to be back for my order.

I sat quietly at my table, taking each sip of my coffee carefully while I studied my surroundings. To an average person, some things would be oblivious to their eyes. They wouldn’t notice the woman who stirred her tea incessantly, her lips mumbling the number of times the spoon spun around the brim because it had to go around exactly seventeen times and end in the exact same spot. They wouldn’t see how the waitress straightened her top and made sure her lipstick was just right for the guy who was sitting up at the rail or how the same guy was taking careful measures to make sure he made eye contact with the dark haired man at the other end. 

Some would find it as a process. Why would someone pay attention that closely to notice quirks or ticks that seemed more or less irrelevant? To me, those tendencies weren’t irrelevant. They spoke to me. I’m able to read their complete story just by watching them but I don’t need special abilities to do that. No one does, really. If people took the time to just pay attention, they would see how the waitress was wasting her time desperately trying to seek attention from the man who wouldn’t give her the time of day. Not because he was rude by any means, but because she wasn’t able to give him what he truly wanted. To be honest, one would have to be pretty dense to not see how blatantly gay the man was.

I smiled to myself before taking another sip of my coffee. I let my eyes continued to wonder around the diner, picking up of every sound and movement.

There was a drumming of fingers coming from the table behind me. Normally, it wouldn’t have bothered me. I had grown accustomed to allowing myself to drown out the smaller things, like nervous habits. I would have just ignored it; that was until I got up to use the restroom.

The drumming stopped. Without turning around, I tried to focus my mind towards the table. I wanted to know why they stopped. I strained to hear something, anything but there was silence. 

Shit.

It was them. I didn’t even have to turn around to know. I felt my body tense as I sat back down. I needed to remain calm but I also needed to get out as soon as I could. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting every possible idea pass through my mind. How they had found me didn’t matter. All that did was the fact that I was now trapped in a public area with no way of getting out without causing a scene.

I heard the drumming continue as I pulled out Liam’s phone from my pocket. With shaking fingers, I quickly typed out a text to Harry. It took a few times while I tried to remember how Louis had taught me how to do it properly.

|There’s a problem. Come quick.|

I waited a few minutes but there was no response. I folded my hands on top of the table and let out a long sigh. I needed to do something. Ideas and instances were racing through my mind.

“Have you decided?”

I looked up to see my waitress waiting with her small pad of paper and pen at the ready. I smiled up at her.

“I need you to scream.” My voice was low for only her to hear. Instantly, she dropped her hands to her sides and let out the most blood curdling scream I have ever heard. People jumped and spun around in their chairs, looking towards the sound.

I looked at the man at the rail. His eyes, like most of the others, were full of panic. 

“You’re on fire,” I ordered. Like the waitress, he went still for a moment before he began to cry in agony. Others began to scream as well but out of fear. Some ran out of the diner and those who remained fell victim to other forms of hallucinations I had for them. As the screams and distractions continued, I look up at the waitress whose voice was now going hoarse.

“Stop screaming.” And as if a flip was switched, she went silent, her eyes wide and blank. The same was said for everyone. All of the members of the diner froze, like time itself had stopped. I turned my head ever so slightly to peer at the men behind me. They were now standing, making themselves ready for whatever I had next.

“You’re very clever,” I heard as I felt a firm hand grip my shoulder. I smiled to myself.

Clever, indeed.

I met the waitress’ eyes again.

“I suggest you remove your hand.”

He chuckled, “Look at this. The little shit has already forgotten his place.”

“What are you going to do about it?” the other asked.

“Well, don’t ask me. Diana is the one you should be worried about.”

“Wha-,” was all he was able to get out before the waitress reached over the table. In one swift move, she took up a fork and jammed the prongs into the side of the man’s neck. His cry sounded throughout the diner as I moved away from the table and made my way to the door, pushing past the frozen people in the process.

“Mr. Horan!” I heard as soon as my hand touched the handle of the door. 

“Don’t take another step,” he warned, voice echoing through the now silent diner.

Slowly, I turned around to face him. I knew his face. He was one of the many who took a liking to breaking my body every other day. 

“Now, come with me. We have to get you back. Believe me, you are sorely missed.”

“Is that right? How is Rose doing, by the way? I’m sure she got quite the slap on the wrist from the board.”

He shook his head, “The board has told her that her mistakes will be excused if she can complete this final task.”

I frowned, “What task?”

“Tell me, Mr. Horan, have you heard back from your friend?”

When his question registered, I took out the phone again. There was still no message from Harry. The man’s laugh brought my focus back to him.

“What have you done?”

“Your friends are dead, kid. All of them,” he said, making his way towards me.

I studied his face carefully. Every line, every wrinkle. His eyes darted slightly to the left.

“And you’re lying.”

The man’s smirk faltered but only slightly.

“You’re sure abo-,” he started.

“How well do you play poker?”

The man took a few steps forward, the confusion from my inquiries swept across his face.

“What’s this about?”

“Poker. Do you know the game?”

He rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I do. What does-.”

“Then you should know the trick to a good bluff, right?”

I watched as his hand grazed over the gun at his side. If he wasn’t so focused on trying to intimidate me, he would have noticed that the people were beginning to turn around. They were moving, slowly, yes; but they were in face moving. Inch by inch, carefully making their way closer to him. 

Why?

Because I told them to.

“What’s this trick then?”

“The trick is,” I began as I raised my hand, “you have to be the one with all the cards.”

With a snap of my fingers, the people of the diner charged at the man, throwing themselves at him. At that, I turned and ran through the door.

I had to find the others and fast. I knew they weren’t dead but I also knew time was running out.


	8. Aim for the Heart: Part Three (Louis)

            When I woke up that morning, half of my body had been on the couch while the other half had managed to fall onto the floor. My eyes weren’t even opened yet and the headache had already began to pierce through my skull.

            “Holy shit,” I mumbled as I pulled myself from the ground as carefully as I could with as little movement as possible. I checked the time on my watch. It was nearly 10:30 in the morning. I let out a few more groans while I stumbled around the apartment, gathering my belongings as I went.

            Suddenly, my phone went off and I swear phones always knew when you were hungover because the alarm might have been a damn train whistle.

            “Shit, turn it off!” I heard Harry shout from his bed.

            “I don’t know where it is,” I replied, my eyes searching the area. I flipped over the cushions of the couch only to come out empty handed.

            “It’s under the bloody sofa,” Liam said as he yanked back his curtains, “you said you would remember where it was.”

            “Liam, I was drunk. How could you possibly rely on drunk me?”

            “Right, what a ridiculous thought,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

            Pulling my phone out from beneath the couch, I quickly swiped the alarm off but then noticed that it wasn’t an alarm at all. It was a reminder that I had set for an exam in my Criminal Law course.

            “Oh, fuck,” I muttered, checking the time again to realize that I had exactly two hours to study an entire months’ worth of material.

            “Everything okay?” Liam asked while making his way to the coffee pot.

            “I have an exam today that I didn’t study for. You know, no big deal,” I informed, nonchalantly, “But I have to go. I need to at least pretend that I studied for it; have a couple witnesses.” Liam chuckled and I pulled on my jacket.

            “Yeah, that’s nice. Laugh at my struggle.”

            “Lou, your struggle is what keeps us all entertained,” Harry spoke up as he stepped from behind his curtains.

            “Thanks, Harold. You always know how to keep me humble.”

            He smiled and gave a small casual salute before I turned to leave. I figured that if I left then, I would be able to get in a shower and stop at the campus café before locking myself away inside the library. I was dreading all of it.

            After a shower and making myself look somewhat decent, considering that I felt like complete shit, I had finally settled myself into a table towards the very back of the library with a with two very caffeinated coffees and a couple breakfast sandwiches from the café. Granted, I wasn’t exactly all about eating at that moment but I knew I had to get something in my stomach just so I could survive the exam.

            About thirty minutes into the cram session, my phone rang, cutting off my music through my headphones. I smiled when I saw that it was Zayn. He had left before I woke up so I hadn’t seen him all morning. I had wondered if he was just as miserable as I was and by the sound of his voice, the thought was confirmed.

            “This is Louis, currently having my life drained by Criminal Law, please kill me.”

            “Ah, I’m sorry, man. Last minute cram session?” Zayn answered.

            “Of course, per usual. You sound pleasant,” I replied.

            “I feel like shit. I just want to sleep but I can’t go home. I still have another class this afternoon and if I go home, I’ll talk myself in to not coming back and I can’t skip class.”

            “Oh the ever-so-valiant Zayn. You make the rest of us look bad,” I teased, “well if you want, you can crash in my room until then. It’s not like I’m going to be there anytime soon.”

            “Really?”

            I highlighted something that I only assumed was relevant in my text book. If I could convince myself that I was at least acting out the motions of studying, I might have been okay. I flipped to the next page as I answered.

            “Yeah, sure. I’ll be here for a while. I’ll probably end up becoming part of the library before too long. It’s probably best. I’m destined to fail this exam.”

            He laughed, “Come on, Lou. You know that’s not true. You always say you’ll fail but then you make, like, the highest grade in the whole class. You’re like some closeted genius or something. Don’t get so down on yourself.”

            I smiled. Zayn was good to have around when you needed a confidence boost. He was like a personal cheerleader.

            “Well, at least you’re trying.”

“I guess. I’d make a shit lawyer anyway,” I said to Zayn over the phone.

“You’re going to do fine, Lou,” he insisted, ignoring my final jab, “study hard, take good notes, and all that junk. Meanwhile, I’m going to sleep off this hangover as much as I can before this next class.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t rub it in.”

“Do you want me to bring you anything?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks though.”

He said his farewells before hanging up, leaving me alone with the mocking text book in front of me.

It wasn’t even fifteen minutes of staring at the pages when I thought I was going to go insane. I took a long sip of the strongest coffee I had ever tasted before stretching my arms over my head, causing a few bones to pop in the process. Letting out a sigh, my arms fell down to my sides and I looked around the space for a moment of distraction.

There wasn’t much, unfortunately. A few students here and there. Most of them seemed to be in the same situation I was. They all looked like they were silently contemplating their sanity while they tapped their pencils in frustration. Others were in the library simply to relax. A concept I never understood. Why in the world would one relax in a library when there was a perfectly good bed or couch just waiting to be utilized?

I shrugged to myself and went to take another sip from my coffee when I was hit with utter confusion. I rubbed my hands over my eyes. Maybe I had fallen asleep and this was some sick dream. When I brought my hands away and blinked back the blurriness, I was assured that this was real and that my parents were walking towards me.

I pulled out my earphones and stared at them in complete shock.

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?”

My mom smiled as she approached. My dad, on the other hand, looked like he would rather be somewhere else.

“We’ve come to visit you, of course,” she said with unexpected enthusiasm.

“Why?”

“Well, you’re our son. Isn’t it normal for parents to visit their son while he’s at college?”

“Not for you,” I stated rather bluntly.

She blinked a few times, her smile never faltering as she cleared her throat.

“We wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?”

“You could say that.”

Technically, ‘surprised’ didn’t even begin to cover it.

“How did you even find me? How did you know I was here?”

“Oh, well we went to your dorm but you weren’t there so we asked around in the building.”

Well, that was a lie. If they went to my dorm, Zayn would have been there. Unless they just missed him. Either way, something strange was going on. This was very much out of the ordinary for my parents. They could hardly make a phone call, let alone actually show their presence on campus.

“So how are things? Are your classes going well?”

_What?_ It had been months since the last time we spoke and she was not about to try and make up for it with a bit of small talk.

“Mom, I can’t do this right now. I have an exam to study for. You’re going to have to leave.”

“But we came all this way and-,” she began but then stopped when my dad mumbled something that I could barely make out.

“Christ, we don’t have time for this,” he said.

“I know. I just thought that…” she trailed off, her smile slowly began to fade. A sinking feeling began to churn inside my stomach. This was all wrong. There was no way they would come and ‘surprise me’. That’s not the way things were.

Slowly, I got up from the table and I began to pack my things.

“Where are you going?” I heard my dad ask.

“To my dorm. At least there, I can close doors and ignore you.”

“I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere, son.”

I scoffed, “Yeah, okay. Whatev-what the…?”

When I looked up, both of my parents had guns pointed right at me. I wanted to panic. To be honest, I thought I was going to shit my pants. Instead, I swallowed hard and tried to focus.

“What are you doing?”

I chose my actions carefully. I put my things back on the table, being sure to not break eye contact.

“Oh, son, why couldn’t you have just stayed where you were? Why didn’t you just stay home?”

“Stop calling him that. He’s not our son. Not anymore.”

“What? Of course I’m your son!” My voice was slightly strained with disbelief, “Mom, please, what is he talking about?”

My heart was hammering against my chest and my palms began to tinge.

“Louis, listen, he’s right. You’re not our son. You needed a normal life; to grow up with as little knowledge about your destiny as possible. With us, you could be kept under close supervision without suspecting anything,” she answered.

“Close supervision? For what?” The heat was beginning to grow and it was becoming more difficult to remain calm.

“We didn’t think we would have to tell you like this. We thought…well, we thought you would different; that maybe you would work with us and not be a part of the resistance.”

“Resistance?” and then it hit me, “The Cage. You work for The Cage.”

“Ah, yes, he’s figured it out. Come on, we have a job to do.”

“We’re so sorry, Louis. You should have just stayed with us.”

I watched as they each cocked their guns. That was when I straightened my posture and raised my chin a little higher.

“And you should have paid a little more attention to me,” I said. They both looked at each other before returning their focus to me.

“Because I’m a lot stronger than you think.” I gave them a smirk before I closed my eyes. They were only closed for a moment and by the time I opened them again, the entire library had been filled with dense fog. Shouts from other students sounded and I found myself feeling out a way to escape my two ‘so-called’ parents.

I had only moved just at the right moment before a gunshot sounded followed by the echoing screams. I hesitated for a second, just to be sure that they had missed. There was no pain, no blood; they had missed.

“Did you get him?”

“I don’t know! I can’t see a damned thing!”

I heard them begin to move and I place the palm of my hand on the carpet. What was once the scratchy old carpet of the library floor, was now quickly being replaced by a sheet of ice. I listened as their footsteps hit and slid across the ice followed by the crash of their bodies falling on top of it. There was no sound and I frowned.

I stood and allowed the fog to clear so that I could see what had become of them. In their fall, they had knocked themselves unconscious. I nudged them with my foot with no response and then kicked their guns away from their hands. I watched as they skidded beneath the bookshelves before taking another look at the bodies.

  There was a strange feeling now knowing that my entire life had been a lie but I didn’t feel mad or upset. I just felt indifferent. I had developed such an aversion to them that there wasn’t much left to be disappointed about.

A sound of a distant gunshot brought me out of my thoughts.

Zayn. I knew I had to get to Zayn. If they had gone after me then it was a very strong possibility that they were going after the others as well. I turned on my heel and raced out of the library, making side glances at the other students who seemed to be petrified.

I pushed through the doors of the library and began making my way towards the direction of my dorm building. Students were all over the place; running into each other in complete hysteria. Some yelled at me, informing me that there had been gunfire and that I needed to get inside for protection.

I ignored them, of course, pushing my legs as fast as they could go. It was at a time like this when I had wished I had been graced with lightning speed or something.

Another gun shot fired and it was then I saw him. He hadn’t even made it to my dorm yet. Instead, I saw Zayn standing in the middle of the sidewalk clutching his side.

“Zayn!” I yelled. He turned to look at me and as I got closer, I could tell that there was something wrong.

“Zayn!” I called again. I watched as he fell to his knees, the spot on his side growing larger with every second. I reached him before he could fall to the ground completely. His face was pale and his eyes were fighting to stay open.

“No, no, no, Zayn, look at me. Look at me! Shit, come on, Zayn!”

I shook him.

“Lou, please,” he mumbled, “I’m so tired.”

It was so quiet that I had to strain to hear it.

“Stay with me, please! Keep your damn eyes open! Just hold on, help is coming! It’s coming, Zayn, please.”

I was panicking while I spoke; my fingers trembling as I dialed for an ambulance.

“Please, send help! My friend has been shot! There’s blood. We’re at the University of Massachusetts, uh, Boston campus. Come quick!”

The lady on the other line asked a few more questions before she informed me that help was on the way. As soon as I hung up I quickly dialed Liam’s number. When there was no answer, I tried Harry’s.

“Harry! Zayn is in trouble! He’s been shot,” I shouted into the phone.

“We know. We’re coming. Get him inside,” Harry ordered.

“I can’t move him. I called for an ambulance and-.”

“You what? God dammit! Look, just don’t do anything. We’re pulling onto campus now.”

After that, he hung up and I let the phone fall to the ground. In the distance, I could hear the wailing of the ambulance.


	9. Aim for the Heart: Part Four (Liam and Harry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!

LPPOV:

 

            “Here take my phone, okay? I’ll be with Harry so call him if you need anything, yeah?” I said to Niall as I handed him my phone. He took with it with a nod and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans before heading out the door.

            I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about letting Niall out on his own but I figured it was time that he built his own bearings. I knew that if I were him, I would have been irritated with the constant hovering and cautious looks. I wanted to give him a chance for some alone time; something he hadn’t gotten the choice of having in a long while.

            I went over to the kitchen counter and poured myself another cup of coffee, mentally thanking Zayn’s mother for giving us a spare. I dead tired of cheap city coffee that tasted as through it was brewed inside of a rusted rubbish bin.

            About halfway through my second cup, my headache was finally starting to fade away. I sat at the table and mindlessly stared at a newspaper when I heard Harry shuffle into the kitchen from the bathroom. He was wearing some of his new clothes and his wet hair was pushed back with a bandana.

            “How’s it going, Rambo?” I asked while I folded up the paper. I heard him chuckle as he took down a mug for himself.

            “He’s got jokes this morning,” he replied. He poured his coffee and came around the table to sit across from me.

            “Where’s Niall?” he asked, bringing the mug up to his lips.

            “I let him go to get something to eat.”

            Harry paused for a moment before allowing himself to take a sip. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

            “Don’t worry, Haz. I gave him my phone. Relax,” I said before he could say anything.

            The corner of his mouth lifted and he gave a small nod before he looked around the room, looking slightly uneasy.

            “Are you alright, mate?”

            “Uh, yeah. I’m good.”

            I took another sip from my coffee before the thoughts and flashbacks from last night began to stumble through my mind.

            “It was a good time last night, yeah? It was good to see the lads in a bit of fun.”

            Harry nodded and then laughed.

            “Can you believe how drunk Zayn got? That was classic! And Niall? I thought for sure he wasn’t going to survive.”

            “Yeah, what in God’s name did you put in their drinks? They got drunk so fast. I don’t understand,” I said, being careful not to laugh too hard just in case my headache decided to revolt. Harry simply shrugged.

            “Just a little cocktail recipe I have. Nothing too drastic. Just depends on who’s drinking it, is all.” I cocked an eyebrow at him but then shook my head as I got up to rinse my mug.

            “You still wanting to get something to eat?”

            “Yeah, my stomach feels like it’s eating itself.”

            At that, he got up and we both made our way to the door. I noticed Harry making a face again as I pulled on my jacket. It seemed as though he was unsettled with something with his brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down.

            “Everything okay, Harry?” I asked. He stared at me for a moment then shook his head as if to bring himself out of a daze.

            “Yeah, of course,” he smiled, “everything is fine.”

            I gave him a stern look only to be answered by another cheeky grin before he turned to leave through the door.

            ***

            The chill of the air felt refreshing as we walked down the sidewalk. All what was left of my hangover was beginning to pass, allowing thoughts to develop. I thought about what we had gone through, what we had accomplished, and I couldn’t help but feel as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I thought that I was never going to know what justice tasted like but now it was being served to me on a silver platter.

            I considered the others as well. The thought of Niall’s freedom and Zayn no longer needing to run. God only knows what Harry got out of it all but he seemed to have developed a little more color. I may have been getting ahead of myself and a small feeling in the pit of my stomach reminded me of that but I felt the need to ignore it.

            I didn’t want to worry. That’s all I ever did and I was tired. I didn’t want to be tired anymore. I just wanted peace.

            “Careful, Liam,” Harry’s voice came through, “I think I can see the steam coming out of your ears.”

            I blinked myself away from my thoughts and looked over at Harry. He had an unlit cigarette hanging from his loosely from his lips and his hands shoved into the pockets of this brown suede jacket that he had insisted he needed the day we went for new clothes.

            “What is it?”

            “Do you think we’re okay? Like, do you think they’ll continue to come after us?” I asked with some naiveté.

            Harry took the cigarette from his lips and rolled it between his thumb and index finger.

            “I think,” he started slowly, “I think you already know the answer to that question, Li. You and I both know very well that they’ll always try but, um...,” he trailed off and looked up at the sky in search of words.

            “I think it’ll get easier from here,” he said with a hint of apprehension.

            I gave a short chuckle, “You know, you could have just lied and told me what I wanted to hear. Just once, Harry, work with me.”

            “Ah, you know I can’t do that,” he said after lighting his cigarette, “It just isn’t it the cards.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you what you can do with your cards.”

“Hey, do not mock the cards. They tell all,” he informed, making some mystical gesture with his hands.

“You’re a downright nutter, you know that?” His answer was only a dimpled grin and a shrug of his shoulders.

“So tell me then, do you cards show some damn food because I’m bloody hungry.”

He flicked the last of his cigarette onto the sidewalk and nodded over to a café across the way. A cocked an eyebrow at him.

“A café, Haz?”

“What? I might be an asshole but I’m a pretentious asshole and I sometimes I like my coffee in finer china.”

I had no words for the idiot and only smiled while I shook my head. I followed him to the small café where we sat and drank overpriced coffee in pink flowered china.

***

HPOV:

What I had told Liam about things getting easier wasn’t a complete lie. But it wasn’t a complete truth either, no matter how hard I wanted to believe. The Cage was a giant snake and the only way to kill it was to cut off its’ head. We had only kicked the basket it was resting in and now it was agitated. I knew that this was far from over.

I even tried to push away this feeling of dread I had in my gut since we left the apartment. It was making me uneasy and I didn’t like how it was ruining my coffee.

“How do you think Niall is doing?” Liam asked. He was sat with his chair turned to the sidewalk as a way to better watch the people passing by.

I shrugged as I ran the tip of my finger along the rim of the coffee cup.

“He’s probably put himself in a food coma. The kid can eat like it’s going out of style.”

“Too right,” Liam laughed, “Why don’t you send him a text though, just to check up.”

“Sure thing, Daddy Liam,” I teased.

“Careful.”

I laughed in response as I pulled my phone from my back pocket. When I lit up the screen it showed that I had already had a message from none other than Niall.

“Well speak of the devil,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“Looks like Niall has…shit,” I muttered as I read the context of the message.

“What? What does it say?”

My eyes went over the message repeatedly, reading each word carefully.

“Harry? Give me something.”

“‘There’s a problem. Come quick’,” I read aloud, “That’s all he sent me.”

            Liam opened his hand for the phone and I handed it to him, my pulse beginning to quicken with every passing second. I watched as he ran his fingers across the screen and then held the phone up to his ear. He waited a few moments before shaking his head and handing it back.

            “He-He’s not answering.”

            “No, I didn’t figure he would,” I said, flatly. My eyes shifted from Liam’s gaze to the people around us and then to the buildings that towered above us.

            “Harry, we have to leave,” I heard Liam say.

            I spotted them but only because I was looking for them. They were complete shit at hiding, to be honest. There was at least one in every other window; ten snipers total. They were waiting. Who knows how long they had been following us. Probably ever since we left the apartment.

            Liam was continuing is rambling of demands until I held up my hand to silence him.

            “Oi! Don’t give me that,” he smacked my hand away, “We have to do something! Niall is in trouble.”

            “So are we,” I said in a near whisper. Immediately, Liam closed his mouth, his fists clenching the table top.

            “Where?”

            “In the build across the way. About six stories up.”

            “How many?”

            “So far,” I answered, “all I see is ten but that might be all they want me to see.” Liam leaned forward, hanging onto every word.

            “Listen to me carefully,” I began but not daring to take my eyes away from the gunmen.

            “When I say get down, you move, alright?”

            I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye and I took in a deep breath, silently sending up a prayer to whatever god would accept it.

            “EVERYBODY GET DOWN!” I shouted, pulling Liam down with me.

            Just as we hit the ground, shots rang out from every direction along followed by the screams. Quickly, I reached up and pulled the small café table in front of us which spared us enough protection and time.

            “We need to move, Harry! We need to get to the others,” he shouted above the chaos as he

            “Sure! Just ask them nicely to stop trying to kill us and we can go!” I answered, flinching just as a bullet flew into the wall beside me. I looked over at Liam who seemed to be aggressively thinking of a plan; chewing on his lip and brows deeply furrowed.

            Then he looked up at me, “Which floor did you say?”

            “The sixth floor, I think?”

            He looked away for a moment to weigh his options before meeting my eyes again. This time, with more determination.

            “Are you ready?” The question was rhetorical but I nodded anyway.

            “Do you think you can reach that far?”

            He shrugged, “I suppose we’ll find out, yeah? Are you down?”

            “Right behind you, chief,” I said.

            At that, the both of us stood up from behind the table, making ourselves vulnerable to the firing squad. Liam began to fire back almost immediately. His first few tries faltered, throwing fire the size of beach balls and having them fall right before they hit the side of the building. He hesitated just a moment and took in a deep breath. Without taking another second, Liam drew back again and fired with everything he had. This time, they were hitting the building with full force. Each one spot on as they struck their target. I watched as he took out each sniper and then I noticed that people were beginning to stop to watch. Some even had their phones out for pictures and video. Many of them stood in awe at the man who was making fire come out of his hands.

            I swallowed hard and turned my attention back to Liam. The shooting had stopped and the building was now partially ablaze.

            “Enough, Liam. We have to go,” I said quickly as I gipped his shoulder. His look was still fierce when he looked at me but that soon changed when he, too, noticed the spectating crowd.

            His ducked his head and nodded before we took off to find Niall and the others.

            “Have you tried calling him again? Maybe he’s back at the apartment,” Liam suggested as we ran.

            “No. He knows better. If anything, he’s trying to find us.”

            “What makes you think-well shit,” Liam said, “I’ll be damned.”

            All I could do was smiled as we both watched Niall running toward us. He waved us down, meeting him halfway.

            “Have you heard from the others?” he asked, rushed and out of breath.

            I shook my head, “No, nothing. Did they get to you as well?”

            “Yeah but we don’t have time. We have to get to the others, we have to get to Zayn.”

            “What’s going on Niall?”

            “I can’t feel Zayn anymore. He’s not-there’s just nothing,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck before looking between the both of us. Concern clouded behind his eyes.

            “Harry? Niall? Get us a car,” Liam ordered. We both stared at him before at each other and then nodded. Stepping out into the street, I only had to wait a minute before a taxi came speeding towards me. I leaned forward slightly and braced myself for the impact.

            “Harry?” Liam started, “Harry, what are you doing?” The taxi began to blare it’s horn as continued towards me.

            “Harry, get out of the way!” Liam shouted and took a step forward only to be stopped by Niall. The cabs’ breaks were squealing at this point, only about ten feet away, and I continued to brace myself.

            “Harry!”

            The impact didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. I gripped the front of the bumper and dug my heels into the concrete. The force of the car was just enough to move me a few feet back from my original spot before it came to a complete stop.

            I released my grip, leaving behind massive dents on the cabs’ front end. As I took a step back, Niall let go of Liam who then ran over to me.

            “Jesus, Harry, are you okay? Why the hell would you do that?”

            I shrugged but the action made me wince. It felt as though a few ribs fell victim to the impact as well as a dislocated shoulder and a fractured arm, all of which began to heal almost immediately.

            “You said you needed a car,” I replied.

            “Well yeah, but I meant more along the lines of hot wiring one? Not getting yourself hit by one,” he said with his brows raised. I shrugged again, this time with a little less pain.

            He shook his head, “You and your damn dramatics.”

            I smiled and we both watched as Niall opened the door to the drivers’ side and pulled the frightened cabbie from the car. He then gripped the man’s shirt collar and forced the cabbie to look at him directly.

            “You saw nothing. You remember nothing,” Niall told him.

            The cabbie nodded in compliance. Niall held onto him one moment more for reassurance before letting go of the man who then took off into a sprint down the road. We watched as he ran without looking back before turning towards Niall.

            “Let’s go,” he said before getting into the backseat of the taxi. Together, Liam and I followed in suit; I, taking shot gun so that my body could continue to heal while Liam drove.

             As we sped across town, we noticed police cars and helicopters racing towards the direction of the café. News teams also joined the mob and I thought about all of the onlookers who had been recording Liam. The ringing of my phone brought me from my thoughts and I pulled it from my back pocket with Louis’ name flashing across the screen.

            “Louis?”

            “Harry! Zayn’s in trouble!” he yelled, “He’s been shot!”

            “We know. We’re coming. Get him inside,” I said, not letting my voice reflect the panic that churned inside my stomach.

            “I can’t move him. I called for an ambulance and-.”

            “You what?” I roared, “God dammit!”

            Why would he do that? He knew what I could do that could save Zayn.

            “Look, just don’t do anything. We’re pulling onto campus now.”

            After that, I hung up and jammed the phone into my jacket pocket.

            “Hurry, Liam.”


End file.
